Kia Pro Cee'd GT used car review

Hyundai’s i30N is – correctly – regarded as the first true hot-hatch from South Korea.

But that landmark model wasn’t the first hatchback from that part of the world with a performance bent.

The HyundaiVeloster in turbocharged form was one of the ground-breakers in this regard, but there’s a Kia-badged car spun off that same platform that also deserves a look now it’s a handful of years old and hitting second-hand car-yards.

Although it lacks the visual impact of the swept-back Veloster (complete with its two doors on one side, one door on the other) the Kia Pro Cee’d GT is arguably just as practical with its conventional three-door layout and a better car overall with its vastly superior rear suspension set-up.

Where the simple torsion-bar rear of the Veloster (and Cerato) was a bit of a problem from a handling and ride point of view, the Pro Cee’d got a more sophisticated set-up that did a much better job.

That made it not only a sharper handler, it also meant that ride quality was maintained even if the road was less than perfect.

Like a lot of contemporary Kias, the Pro Cee’d was also the recipient of some local input from the brands team of local suspension engineers.

That included different damper settings, stiffer springs and a bigger anti-roll bars to give the Kia some real bite through its big, 18-inch alloy-wheel and tyre package.

Sharing the Veloster Turbo’s driveline meant the Pro Cee’d got a 1.6-litre engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger for a power output of 150kW and torque of 265Nm of torque.

It pays to remember that when the Holden Commodore Turbo of 1986 broke cover, it was immediately labelled a true performance car. And it had 150kW of power, just like the Kia.

So how come the Kia was regarded as a warm-hatch and not a genuinely hot one?

Well, a few things: For starters, the world of performance cars had moved on and 0-100km/h in between seven and eight seconds was no longer a huge deal. Also, the Holden, thanks to an engine that was roughly twice the size of the Kia’s made a bit more torque.

But mainly, it was a case of kilograms. Even though the Kia was a hatchback versus the Holden’s five-seat sedan layout, the Kia was actually 30kg heavier.

The other element was that the Kia lacked a bit of initial stomp. Even with the turbo-torque there was some low-down lag which affected the throttle-response and made the car feel less perky than its spec sheet would have suggested.

All that said, the Pro Cee’d was still a reasonably spritely thing and, once you got it wound up, could be very quick point to point; just like any good, modern warm hot-hatch.

Which is really the point: If you’ve never driven a quick-ish modern hatchback before, the Pro Cee’d will feel like a revelation. And if you have, it will immediately be obvious that there are hotter hatches out there.

Engine downsizing was all the rage back when the Pro Cee’d as being developed which is why the car has a 1.6 rather than a two-litre engine (the Hyundai i30N, for instance, gets the full two litres).

In turn, that meant that getting the necessary performance from the unit needed some fairly intense turbocharging. So, the Kia has a twin-scroll turbocharger and is tuned to deliver a fairly high 18psi of turbo boost.

And, a few years down the track, that has some implications for the person buying one second-hand.

Primarily, it means that unless the car in question has a full and complete service record, we’d be inclined to look at the next one on offer.

Any gaps in the service history are likely to involve skipped oil changes and that can mean an early death for highly-strung engines like these. Old, dirty oil soon develops into engine-killing sludge which can cause premature wear to intricate and costly components such as turbocharger bearings, valve gear, engine bearing s and even piston rings. Never before has a skipped service been such a false economy.

Thanks to Kia’s excellent factory warranty, a lot of second-hand Pro Cee’ds will still have some of that warranty left to run. But Kia (or any manufacturer) will only be obliged to honour that warranty on cars that have been correctly serviced and have the handbooks to prove it.

The fact that the Kia was both a relatively affordable vehicle as well as one that had a certain performance bent, it’s fair to say quite a few were bought by younger drivers with an – er – enthusiastic driving style.

That means a check for crash damage is essential, including a check to ensure that the paint match on all panels is right.

Pay close attention, too, to the front apron and bumper which is a large plastic unit that sticks out a fair way on the Kia and is placed quite low to the ground where it can easily be a victim of driveways and speed humps tackled at too high a velocity.

Make sure the four little LED daytime running lights on each side all work, too, as these units won’t be cheap to replace if they’re damaged.

In the end, the Pro Cee’d wasn’t the huge seller Kia had hoped and it was dropped from price-lists after just a couple of years.

Clearly, the lack of an automatic transmission variant didn’t help the model’s cause.

That makes it a it harder to find than some more popular models, but it’s definitely worth a look.

If you're looking to buy a second-hand Kia Pro Cee'd GT, then check out the models we have for sale on Drive.com.au here

Likes:

Dislikes:

Some would-be buyers would have preferred a two-pedal version.

Bit of an orphan in the trade.

Some lag from engine if you were lazy with the gearbox.

Didn’t last long as a model.

Competitors:

Hyundai Veloster Turbo – Same engine but the Hyundai lacked the more sophisticated, effective rear suspension of the Kia. Asymmetrical door layout either works for you or makes no sense at all. 3 stars

Ford Fiesta ST – Utterly charming and so much more than the sum of its parts. The Fiesta ST will go down as a modern classic. Some have been driven hard, but there are good ones out there. 4.5 stars

Volkswagen Polo GTi – Definitely a classy car to drive with a fizzy engine and slick DSG clutchless manual transmission. But the DSG needs a close health check before the money changes hands and be sure to buy a car with a full service history. 3 stars